Bridge players bring competitive spirit to Myrtle Beach

The first rule of bridge tournaments is you do not talk during bridge tournaments.

Pawleys Island bridge enthusiast Clarke Smart would know that rule, as she’s been an avid player since the 1960s.

Thousands of bridge players from across the country have been crowding a conference room at the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes since Dec. 27, but the only sounds you’ll hear are discussions between partners about possible moves.

The competitors will tell you that, during games, you’re not there to swap recipes or talk about families. Directors are also there to settle arguments that can break out after a player accuses another of not following the rules.

“It’s not social, in this tournament,” Smart said. “You’re there to play and win.”

Most of the 1,200 players in the Mid-Atlantic Bridge Tournament, which runs through Jan. 2, come from North and South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, said Millard Nachtwey, chief tournament director.

Unlike other popular card games like poker and Texas Hold Em,’ bridge players aren’t playing for money, but rather points.

“This is entertainment for most of these people,” Nachtwey said. “They’re here on their nickel.”

Jimmy Fox, a tournament participant and president of the Myrtle Beach bridge chapter, used the number of points he’s acquired over six years of play to become what is referred to as a “life master,” a highly sought level of achievement in which the player has acquired 300 or more recorded masterpoints.

Even without a monetary motivation, what Fox and others enjoy about bridge is the challenge of trying to figure out the play of the cards.

“It’s a bidder’s game,” he said.

Intellectual challenge

The stigma surrounding bridge is that it’s a game only played by senior citizens.

Fox referred to it as a “fuddy duddy game.”

While a lot of players were seniors, this week’s tournament had a mix of all ages.

Besides the competitive nature of the game, what all of them enjoy is the intellectual challenge it offers.

“It’s intensely competitive and keeps your mind from going bad, or going worse,” said player Jim Wall, from Perry, Ga.

A tutorial on bridge would require more space than is allotted here, but the general rules are each game consists of four players, or two teams.

The object of bridge is to win tricks for your side. With a standard 52-card deck being used, and each player getting 13 cards, there are 13 tricks up for grabs.

The lead card is played, and the other three players must follow the same suit, if possible. For example, if the first card is a spade, and a player has a spade, then it must be used.

If a player doesn’t have at least one card of the same suit, the obligation is void and they can play any card in their hand.

The person with the highest card in the suit wins, if no trump card is played.

Fourteen-year-old Andrew Jeng, who is partnered with his 11-year-old brother, Richard, said the mental challenge comes from having to think about not only your partner’s hand, but also the hand your opponent was dealt.

The Jeng brothers were first introduced to the game in 2006, while at a summer camp in their hometown of Atlanta. Both have been enthusiasts ever since.

“It uses a lot of your brain, like logic,” said Richard Jeng. “It uses a lot of math.”

Cleveland native Charles Scholl also enjoys the intellectual side of bridge, and how it applies to not only math, but statistics.

“It’s a partnership game,” he said.

Wall said the number of hands that can be played is astronomical.

What he enjoys about tournaments like the one in Myrtle Beach is it attracts a more advanced field of players than those in local chapters.

As he advanced in his bridge abilities, he enjoyed finding other competitive challengers.

“We’re here. We just want to play,” Wall said.

Bridge brings dollars

Bridge is considered one of my most popular card games in the world, with millions of enthusiasts who play in clubs, tournaments, online or just at home with friends.

It’s also brought a little holiday cheer to Myrtle Beach over the last few years, during a period that’s traditionally slow.

Mark Kruea, Myrtle Beach spokesman, didn’t have any specific figures regarding the economic impact of the tournament.

However, Cindy Hull, the director of sales and marketing at the Grande Dunes Marriott, said the hotel’s occupancy is around 80 percent because of the tournament.

The hotel has hosted the event four times since 2005, which falls around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Hull said it’s one of the hotel’s bigger events for this time of year and brings in a significant amount of revenue, although she didn’t want to reveal specific numbers.

“We very much appreciate our bridge players here,” she said.